The biennial FIDE World Cup tournament attracts attention from across the chess world. The 128-player knockout format means that every region is represented, and the two-game matches make for many exciting struggles. This year the event was held once again at Khanty-Mansiysk last month in the Siberian winter. Australian GM David Smerdon qualified to take part as the Oceania Zonal winner, and although he was eliminated in the first round, he did well to force 15th seed Cuban GM Leinier Dominguez to tie-breaks to do so. A bigger Pacific splash was made by 16-year old GM Wesley So of the Phillippines. He progressed as far as the fourth round, eliminating sixth seed Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) and previous winner Gata Kamsky (USA) before being knocked out.
The tense final was fought out between top seed, Boris Gelfand (Israel), and former winner of this event, Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine). Gelfand had looked in the better form, but the steely Ponomariov forced the match to blitz tie-breaks after the first four standard games were drawn and the players were still tied after rapid tie-breaks. Eventually strength and experience prevailed and the veteran Gelfand (at 41 one of the oldest players of the 128 starters) won the Cup and earned a place in the next cycle of the World Championship Candidates matches.
Today's game is from the semi-finals in Khanty-Mansiysk, where Gelfand began a 2-0 demolition of the formidable Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine) with this win with the black pieces.
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4!? ---
The Bishop's Opening has rarely been seen at the top level for over a hundred years, but Gelfand's reputation for meeting 2.Nf3 with the solid Petroff Defence 2...Nf6 is the likely cause. 2.--- Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Bb3 d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.h3 a5 9.a4 Nd4 10.Nxd4 exd4
White's opening has posed few problems and Black even has a slight lead in development.White's next move is a novelty, well met by Black. 11.Re1 Ra6! 12.Qh5 ---
Accepting the piece by 12 Bxd5 Qxd5 13 Rxe7 runs into 13... Rg6 threatening mate on g2 and 14 ... Bxh3. If 14 g4 Qh5! and the threat to sacrifice a second piece on g4 forces 15 Re4 Qxh3 when White is left with a denuded king and an undeveloped queenside. 12.--- Nb4 13.Na3 Rg6 14.Bf4 b6!
Not so much to defend a5 as to threaten 15...Bb7. 15.Qf3 Be6 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Qe4 Bd6 18.Bxd6 cxd6! 19.Qxd4 ---
The exchange of both pairs of bishops has removed White's most effective defenders and paved the way for invasion by Black's heavy pieces. Losing the d4 pawn is hardly significant, as Black's next threatens mate. 19...Qg5 20.g3 Qf5 21.g4 h5
Even better was bringing the last piece into the attack by 21...Nd5! heading for f4, but the breakup of White's kingside is good enough. 22.Re4 d5 23.Kh2 Qf3 24.Ree1 hxg4 25.Qe3 gxh3!
At last acquiescing to White's attempts to exchange queens to stave off mate – but exacting the highest price. 26.Qxf3 Rxf3 27.Rg1 Rxf2+ 28.Kxh3 Rxg1 29.Rxg1 Nxc2 30.Nb5 Rf3+ 31.Kg4 Rxd3 32.Nd6 Ne3+ 33.Kf4 Nc4
White resigns, as three pawns down he has no chance in the ending.
Veteran wins World Cup tournament
Problem: White to play and mate in five.The biennial FIDE World Cup tournament attracts attention from across the chess world. The 128-player knockout format means that every region is represented, and the two-game matches make for many exciting struggles. This year the event was held once again at Khanty-Mansiysk last month in the Siberian winter. Australian GM David Smerdon qualified to take part as the Oceania Zonal winner, and although he was eliminated in the first round, he did well to force 15th seed Cuban GM Leinier Dominguez to tie-breaks to do so. A bigger Pacific splash was made by 16-year old GM Wesley So of the Phillippines. He progressed as far as the fourth round, eliminating sixth seed Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) and previous winner Gata Kamsky (USA) before being knocked out.
The tense final was fought out between top seed, Boris Gelfand (Israel), and former winner of this event, Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine). Gelfand had looked in the better form, but the steely Ponomariov forced the match to blitz tie-breaks after the first four standard games were drawn and the players were still tied after rapid tie-breaks. Eventually strength and experience prevailed and the veteran Gelfand (at 41 one of the oldest players of the 128 starters) won the Cup and earned a place in the next cycle of the World Championship Candidates matches.
Today's game is from the semi-finals in Khanty-Mansiysk, where Gelfand began a 2-0 demolition of the formidable Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine) with this win with the black pieces.
1.e4 e5
2.Bc4!? ---
The Bishop's Opening has rarely been seen at the top level for over a hundred years, but Gelfand's reputation for meeting 2.Nf3 with the solid Petroff Defence 2...Nf6 is the likely cause.
2.--- Nf6
3.d3 Nc6
4.Nf3 Be7
5.0-0 0-0
6.Bb3 d5
7.exd5 Nxd5
8.h3 a5
9.a4 Nd4
10.Nxd4 exd4
White's opening has posed few problems and Black even has a slight lead in development.White's next move is a novelty, well met by Black.
11.Re1 Ra6!
12.Qh5 ---
Accepting the piece by 12 Bxd5 Qxd5 13 Rxe7 runs into 13... Rg6 threatening mate on g2 and 14 ... Bxh3. If 14 g4 Qh5! and the threat to sacrifice a second piece on g4 forces 15 Re4 Qxh3 when White is left with a denuded king and an undeveloped queenside.
12.--- Nb4
13.Na3 Rg6
14.Bf4 b6!
Not so much to defend a5 as to threaten 15...Bb7.
15.Qf3 Be6
16.Bxe6 fxe6
17.Qe4 Bd6
18.Bxd6 cxd6!
19.Qxd4 ---
The exchange of both pairs of bishops has removed White's most effective defenders and paved the way for invasion by Black's heavy pieces. Losing the d4 pawn is hardly significant, as Black's next threatens mate.
19...Qg5
20.g3 Qf5
21.g4 h5
Even better was bringing the last piece into the attack by 21...Nd5! heading for f4, but the breakup of White's kingside is good enough.
22.Re4 d5
23.Kh2 Qf3
24.Ree1 hxg4
25.Qe3 gxh3!
At last acquiescing to White's attempts to exchange queens to stave off mate – but exacting the highest price.
26.Qxf3 Rxf3
27.Rg1 Rxf2+
28.Kxh3 Rxg1
29.Rxg1 Nxc2
30.Nb5 Rf3+
31.Kg4 Rxd3
32.Nd6 Ne3+
33.Kf4 Nc4
White resigns, as three pawns down he has no chance in the ending.
0-1
Solution: 1 Bh7+! Kxh7 2 Rf7+ Kh6 3 Bc1+ Qf4 4 Bxf4+ Kh5 5 Rh7#.